President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had a wild meeting at the White House Tuesday, when a debate over government funding for a border wall spontaneously erupted in front of the press and ended with Trump vowing to take the blame for a potential government shutdown.

Incredible argument unfolding now in front of the press between trump, Pelosi and Schumer over votes for border security. Pelosi keeps asking not to discuss it in front of the press. pic.twitter.com/pEEnFhuplY

Kicking things off, Trump welcomed the press to the meeting and discussed the issues they would talk about. The tone was set when Trump joked to Schumer about wall funding being “easy” and Schumer snidely corrected him, “It’s called funding the government, Mr. President.”

President Trump: "And then we have the easy one, the wall. That will be the one that will be the easiest of all. What do you think Chuck? Maybe not?"

Trump predicted that he might not come to an agreement with the Democratic leaders. Calling on Pelosi to say something, she said the government “should not have a Trump shutdown.”

That set the president off.

During his meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, President Trump says "we may not have an agreement today, we probably won't" on border wall funding, but "we have an agreement on other things that are really good" https://t.co/nTeGObvgKipic.twitter.com/MAlATOwhO9

Trump was eager to defend his position, arguing that he has the votes for a wall in the House but that Schumer’s Senate Democrat obstructionism is blocking wall funding in the Senate. Pelosi did not want to have this debate in front of the press.

President Trump engages in an Oval Office clash with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi over border security as the shutdown deadline looms

Disagreements intensified. An argument over whether strong border security necessitates a physical wall devolved into squabbles over the state of the economy and over the margin of victory for Democrats and Republicans in the 2018 midterms.

At one point, Schumer shot at Trump: “When the president brags that he won North Dakota and Indiana, he’s in real trouble.”

"Unfortunately, this has spiraled downward," says Nancy Pelosi during a heated argument with President Trump at the Oval Office. pic.twitter.com/bZrjiNLOmK

Schumer and Pelosi repeatedly stated that they had come in “good faith” to prevent a government shutdown. But Trump had had it with both of them. The president insisted on funding for a wall and vowed to take the blame for a government shutdown, if that’s what it takes.

TRUMP to SCHUMER: "I am proud to shut down the government for border security, chuck. People in this country don't want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country" pic.twitter.com/E8CRW9k7pe

First, Trump and the Democratic leaders are living in different realities on wall funding. There’s likely not much room for compromise there. The Democrats got what they want when Trump said he’d take the blame for a shutdown. Trump got what he wanted by putting them on the spot in front of television cameras. After this performance, it’s hard to imagine either side backing down from a government shutdown.

Second, Pelosi and Schumer do not want this debate to air in front of the press. It’s harder to cast Trump as a villain when he’s in the same room insisting on protecting Americans from violent criminal illegal aliens and drug-pushing gangs.

Third, though the media hate this president because he insults them, he once again proved he is the most transparent and media-friendly American president in living memory. Can you imagine any other president allowing this debate to play out in front of the press?

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Author: Chris Pandolfo

Chris Pandolfo is a staff writer and type-shouter for Conservative Review. He holds a B.A. in politics and economics from Hillsdale College. His interests are conservative political philosophy, the American founding, and progressive rock. Follow him on Twitter for doom-saying and great album recommendations @ChrisCPandolfo.